26 de septiembre de 2011

Energy hybrid home

This summer one of my brothers explained to me his project to achieve energy self-sufficiency in his house. He had designed a hybrid system where he would be using:

- Thermosolar for hot water

- Wood pellets for heating

- Solar PV panels for the general electricity needs and

- A clever switching system between these sources and the grid supply, as for the moment in Spain the electric companies do not allow the hybrid powered houses; either you are completely off the grid, either you generate clean energy for the utilities companies, but not for yourself.

How can it be possible that they do not incentivate the hybrid homes? Not only they do not incentivate them, they are banned.

What could be better than a high percentage of houses generating their own energy, suppling the surplus to the grid and demanding to the grid only the peaks they do not manage to generate by themselves?

The utility company gets a large number of microgeneration suppliers that are as well clients. At the end of the month they give you the balance, either you pay when you have got demanding peaks, either you get credit for future peaks in case you have got a surplus.